It was my long standing wish to visit this amazing lake and enjoy the breathtaking view of this Deep Blue Lake. My wish finally came true when my wife and I took a trip to the lake during the 4^th of July weekend. I am talking about the world famous Crater Lake. A caldera lake in the western United States, located in south-central Oregon, US.

I had read about its pristine blue waters before I visited this lake and was looking forward to enjoying the beauty of this lake in person. I simply run short of words to describe the beauty of this lake. If you insist, I would like to quote what the William Gladstone Steel, who is credited as the ‘Father of Crater Lake’, “The whole thing is all too great to be described; one must see it to appreciate it."

The Legend of Crater Lake

I had booked for a trolley tour which comprises of a guided tour around the rim of the lake. It has stop overs at various vista points where the knowledgeable guide shared with us the legend of how Crater Lake came into being. Unlike my earlier belief or many whom I have spoken to, this name Crater Lake isn’t formed by a celestial body like a meteorite or an asteroid! I will share with you 2 parallel stories that explain the formation of Crater Lake and let you decide how each one matches up to the other!

Crater Lake was a place of mystery to the Klamath Indians. According to the local legend, the lake was formed as a result of fierce battle between Llao, the god of the underworld and the sky god, Skell which caused the eruption of Mount Mazama, creating Crater Lake.

The Klamath stories say that “quarrels began, and war broke out between Llao and Skell. One time Llao visited atop he saw Loha, the daughter of the Klamath Indian Chief, and fell in love with her. He became extremely angry when she rejected his hideous, underworld nature, and cursed the Klamath with fire that rained down on them. The Klamath turned to Skell for help. In response to the Klamath people's pleadings, Skell descended from the sky to the top of Mount Shasta. A furious battle ensued Skell from Mount Shasta and Llao from Mount Mazama. The ferociousness of the fight led two medicine men to jump into the pit of the underworld as a sacrifice to appease the spirits. Inspired by their sacrifice, Skell fought harder and defeated Llao, driving him deep into the underworld. The story goes on to explain that Skell then covered the hole to the underworld with the top of Mount Mazama to imprison Llao forever. As a final act, Skell covered the remains of the dark pit with water to restore peace and tranquility to the land, which became Crater Lake.”

Below is the majestic view of Mt Shasta, on our way back from Klamath Falls.

Image: Mt. Shasta looking southwest, south of Dorris California on Highway 97

At this point, the guide asked to hold on to this story since she wasn’t yet done. She then went on to share the scientific explanation of the formation of Crater Lake. The scientific explanation states that volcanic eruption that took place around 7,700 (± 150) years ago. 

Surprisingly, the scientific explanation describes the formation of the Crater Lake in a way that almost validates what the people of Klamath tribe believed as the legend!

At this point the guide made a very interesting point that resonated with my own belief system. She said when people witness something that’s beyond their levels of understanding; they often come up with stories that try to explain what actually happened, with what they saw happened!

Pretty close isn’t it?

Discovery of Crater Lake

I must share with you the story of an American explorer and prospector, John Wesley Hillman and his amazing journey from New Orleans all the way to West Coast and his ‘sudden’ discovery of Crater Lake. In his memoir recorded here, Hillman describes vividly his arduous journey and the hardships he faced before in reaching San Francisco, California, to try his luck with the Gold Rush.

John Wesley Hillman, Henry Klippel, and Isaac Skeeters, were in search of the legendary "Lost Cabin" gold mine when they came upon the lake by accident on June 12, 1853. Hillman reported that this was the bluest lake he had ever seen, and Skeeters called it Deep Blue Lake.

In 1862, Chauncy Nye and his party of prospectors also came upon the lake. Nye wrote the first published article about the lake, stating "the waters were of a deeply blue color causing us to name it Blue Lake".

The lake was later rediscovered on August 1, 1865 by two hunters working with road crews from Fort Klamath. Sergeant Orsen Sterns and several others came to see the now-legendary lake. Sterns was the first non-Native American to climb down into the caldera and reach the shore of Crater Lake. Captain F.B. Sprague soon joined him and suggested the name "Lake Majesty."

In July of 1869, newspaper editor Jim Sutton and several others were the first to lower a canvas boat into the lake. Despite the many other names for this lake, Jim Sutton finally named it "Crater Lake" for the crater on top of Wizard Island in his article describing his exploration inside the lake.

W G Steel happened to see the beauty of Crater Lake when he first learned of it from a newspaper that was wrapped around his lunch when he was a school boy. W G Steel also is credited to have come up with interesting name for the large island which is seen in the earlier picture. It’s called the wizard island. It is said that he tried everything he could to make this place attractive for visitors and one such strategy he used was naming the parts of this lake with unique and interesting names!

His first glimpse of this exquisite beauty in 1885 inspired him to devote his life and fortune to set aside this scenery for all of us to enjoy. After 17 years of dedication and hard work, his dream came true when President Theodore Roosevelt signed the bill on May 22, 1902, to establish Crater Lake as the nation's sixth national park.

Why should you visit Crater Lake?

Apart from its mind blowing deep blue color, this lake also has some amazing facts which make it such a unique lake in the whole of United States. At its deepest, this lake can measure up to 1,949 feet (594 m), making it the deepest lake in the whole of United States. The lake clarity is measured with a secchi disk, a black and white disk lowered into the water with a cable. Its exceptional clarity is mainly due to its isolation from streams and rivers. The record clarity of Crater Lake was measured at a depth of 41 m (134 ft) in August 1994.  Its primary input is from annual precipitation in the region. Average annual precipitation is 168 cm (66 in); average annual snowfall is 13 m (44 ft). It took approximately 250 years for the lake to fill to today's level (~1,883 m or ~6,178 ft above sea level).

The Crater Lake National park remains open to public only during 4 months in a year. To put it in the own words of the Park Ranger, Crate Lake has 4 seasons, “July, August, September and winter!” The park usually opens in the first week of July and the whole rim opens up for a scenic drive only by 3rd or 4th week of July.

There is a ferry ride that you can take which usually involves some hike down to the lake (it can easily take up to an hour of descent and 2 hours of ascent). There are 2 types of rides, one involves a 2 hour ride around the lake and the other one involves a stop at Wizard Island where visitors are allowed to get down and can also hike on designated trails. These ferry rides fill up quite fast and its recommended to book them early (may be 3-4 months in advance).

If you are not interested in taking the ferry, you can try the trolley tours which are by far the best way to explore the rim of the lake and take advantage of the scenic views of the lake from various vista points. Also they have excellent tour guides explaining the history of the lake and answering any questions you may have. I highly recommend you visit this place and I promise you it will be worth your time.